James Rollins, the New York Times bestselling master of nail-biting suspense and historical mystery, combines cutting-edge biotechnology with a centuries-old secret in an apocalyptic story that reveals where humankind is truly headed

The Doomsday Key

At Princeton University, a famed geneticist dies inside a biohazard lab. In Rome, a Vatican archaeologist is found dead in St. Peter's Basilica. In Africa, a U.S. senator's son is slain outside a Red Cross camp. The three murders on three continents bear a horrifying connection: all the victims are marked by a Druidic pagan cross burned into their flesh.

The bizarre murders thrust Commander Gray Pierce and Sigma Force into a race against time to solve a riddle going back centuries, to a ghastly crime against humanity hidden within a cryptic medieval codex. The fi rst clue is discovered inside a mummifi ed corpse buried in an English peat bog—a gruesome secret that threatens America and the world.

Aided by two women from his past—one his exlover, the other his new partner—Gray must piece together the horrifying truth. But the revelations come at a high cost, and to save the future, Gray will have to sacrifi ce one of the women at his side. That alone might not be enough, as the true path to salvation is revealed in a dark prophecy of doom.

Sigma Force confronts humankind's greatest threat in an adventure that races from the Roman Coliseum to the icy peaks of Norway, from the ruins of medieval abbeys to the lost tombs of Celtic kings. The ultimate nightmare is locked within a talisman buried by a dead saint—an ancient artifact known as the Doomsday Key.

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Review

"Rollins's prose explodes off the page in a twisty and compelling thriller....Swashbuckling adventure, elite team effort, and religious symbology all add up to another gripping andterrifying read....An amazing and brilliant technothriller that might be his best to date." -- Library Journal (starred review)

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Wow, what a ride. This is a sprawling book that covers much of history, its mysteries, and events of the day that have us baffled and frightened. The book was published in 2009 with many fine reviews already posted giving a synopsis of events, so I'll skip that part. I'll stick with how much this book and writing style reminds me of Michael Crichton's ability to hold many different characters, locations, and unfolding secrets without frustrating the reader and hoping they can hold on to the ledge long enough without dropping the book.

So many scenes in this book stand out in my memory, and I'd like to know if the author has actually done all these things--breath-taking motorcycle racing, riding a thundering horse, climbing hills and dales, enduring explosions--and if not, how did he make them come so alive in a way I'd never before experienced? The scene with the horses put me right on top of the horse and feeling every movement and heartbeat of fear in the animal and the characters.

The legend of Merlin and King Arthur have always captured my imagination, so much so that all the cats I've ever had have been named after those who populate the legend. To find them here (not a major part of the story) was a delight. And, wow, did I ever learn a lot. At certain points in the reading, I had to comfort myself by telling myself the weapons and threats to the world's survival were all products of the imagination. Then I'd look them up to make sure and found they were real. There's a terrific imagination at work here with expert skills of weaving the fantastical of this world with the possibilities that *might* explain them. I'll never look at corn served at a summer bar-b-que the same. And the Henry Kissinger's quote that's repeated a few times in the book are as burned into my mind as the Celtic Cross. What a journey. And what a pleasure to have stumbled upon this author and know there are more books in the series.

If you like books that bring you into a world that stands beside the one we're living in, and enjoy traveling those worlds with adventure, action, and a deep curiosity, read this book. I'll skip the frozen edges of Norway, but now I can't wait to get back to the UK and explore the places this book has taken me.

Bring on the suspense! Sit on the edge of your seat and enjoy the ride! Well written and enough suspense to keep you guessing until the end. I love a good mystery and this definitely fits the bill. I am relatively new to the Sigma Force novels, only owning one other - The Doomsday Key, but I like the concept. A little historical and scientific truth added to a little science fiction, but fiction that could easily become reality,and you have your mystery. The characters are well defined but just enough is left in the air about each to keep you wondering whose the bad guy and just what is the actual mystery.

In these novels, you begin with historical fact, then scientific fact, and then some mystery is revealed in current day. This is just the preamble to get you thinking before jumping into the chapters which begin the hunt, the questions, the challenge. Love it and will be buying more Sigma Force books

I am thouorghly enjoying the Sigma series. James Rollins has done a remarkable job of drawing the reader into caring for the main as well as the secondary characters in the stories. The only (minor) niggle I have with his writing style is the repeated use of what I call "mini cliff hangers" to end a chapter, only to have the issue almost miraculously resolved a few pages later. It works the first few times, but loses much of it's literary punch after a while. That aside, the story telling keeps the reader engaged to the last page. I think Rollins' signature move is that one part in each book where the content of the entire story is drawn down to a razor edge; the reveal and subsequent emotional release in those few pages is almost magical and Rollins is at his absolute best here. I realize this has been a general review and not book-specific, but if it helps draw a few more readers into the Sigma series, then I will have accomplished my task. Don't be afraid to invest in this series.

Once again, we have a story that takes a bit of scientific facts and throws it together into a suspense packed thriller. In this novel, we get introduced to another member of Sigma Force, Kowalski, who is presented as a walking muscle but he does have a working mind under the muscle, considering how he sees things.This story follows two paths of two teams who wind up together in the same place at the end in the search for a solution to a problem. One path follows clues left by Marco Polo during his voyage back home. The other path follows a pathogen to it's source.

The Sigma Force series is a pretty well-written action/adventure series with well developed characters and story-lines that wander through the annals of history aligning James Rollins' imagination with authentic, usually violent, events and locations. I loved this novel as much due to the Native American story line, as well as the significant time spent with the iconic Painter Crowe, and the environmental angle from the First People's point of view based on their mythologies. The author has honed his craft revealing a sagacious perceptiveness with this thought provoking tale of morality and corruption. I quite enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to readers.